Railway brake beam



Dec. 16, 1924.

s. `A. CRONE RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM Filed Feb. 11, 1924 2 sheets-sheet 1 fig! Wim

' :'I a INVENTQR l B'Y S. A. CRONE RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM Dec, 16, 1924.

Filed Feb. l1, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Der. 16, 1924.

ATENT SETI-1I A. GRNE, OF EAST ORANGE, NEVI JERSEY.

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM.

Application led February 11, 1924. Serial No. 691,388.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, SETH A. CRONE, a citizen ot the United States, and a resident ot East Orange, in the county ot Essex and State oi New Elersey, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Railway Brake Beams, ot' which the following is a specification.

The invention pertains to railway brake beams and particularly to a tour point suspension therefor and means cooperating with the respective tramway-bar members of the tour point suspension for holding the` beam captive, while at the same time permitting the beam to have its requisite movements in the service application ot the brakes to and their release from the car wheels.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of longitudinally adjustable tour point suspension tramway-bars so as to adapt the same to the varying conditions which arise when the bars are applied to trucks whose brake beam hangers vary in length or are not of the same length at both ends of the truck or differ in length on the different trucks to which the tramway bars are to be applied.

Another feature of the invention is the combining with tour point suspension tramway bars, of yielding detachable links eX- tending over said bars and connected with the outer ends thereof and to a part of the truck, tor the purpose ot preventing, in the event ot accident to the beam hanger or hangers the end oit the beam trom slipping over the outer end of the bar and also preventing on the service application of the brakes, the wheels trom causing the brake shoe at the disabled end of the beam, to ride unduly upward on the wheel. The ends of the beam are, in my invention, held captive between the tramway bars and the overhead links and thereby the beam, in case ot accident to the hangers, can neither tall to the roadbed or be carried upwardly over the wheels.

l present my invention herein as applied to certain 'features shown and described in Letters Patent No. 1,47 5,280 granted to me on November 27, 1923, but my invention is obviously applicable to the tramway bars ot various well known tour point suspension mechanisms, and therefore the essential features ot the invention are not limited, in every instance, to all the details of the tramway bars shown in the drawings.

rlhe invention will be fully understood trom the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which.:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of a car truck trame and two inside hung brake-beams, said truck frame being provided with the four point suspension and safety features ot my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the same taken on the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 2 illustrates two different lengths of brake-beam hangers to indicate the applicability of the invention for brake-beams whose heads are centrally h ung or hung from their upper end portions;

Fig. 3 is a detached plan view ot' one lower tramway-bar, being the lett hand bar looking at Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side View and Fig. 5 an end projection of the same;

Fig. 6 is a plan view, Fig. 7 a side elevation and Fig. 8 an end projection or" a bearing-frame I secure upon the saring plank of the truck to receive the inner ends oi the retaining links whose outer ends are detachably connected with the outer ends of the tramway bars;

Fig. 9 is a plan view, Fig. 10 a side elevation and Fig. 11 an end projection of one of the aforesaid retaining links, and

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section, corresponding with Fig. 2, showing the end hangers for the brake beams of corresponding length and the tramway bars in one piece eX- tending beyond both side edges of the spring plank, as distinguished from said bars being in separate pieces and adjustable longitudinally to meet conditions arising from the use ol different kinds ot brake-beam hangers, as shown in Fig. 2;

ln the drawings 10 designates a portion of a customary spring-plank constituting a portion of a car-truck trame, and 11, 12 denote trussed brake-beams ot known torni each comprising a compression member 153, a tension member or truss rod 14 and a strut 15 adapted to take the usual brake lever not shown. @n the ends of the beams' 11, 12 are the usual brake-shoe heads 16 carrying shoes 17 tor application to the wheels 18. The heads 16 are suspended by swive-led hangers numbered 19, 20, respectively in Fig. 2, the hanger 19 being less in lengt-h than the hanger 20 and connected with the upper porllO tion of its head 16 in a customary way, while the hanger 2O engages itshead 16y at about the center thereof, as usual. I illustrate the two different lengths of hangers 19, 2O to indicate the value of one feature ofy my invention hereinafter described, relating to the relative adjustability of the tramway bars 21, 22.

The tramway bars 21, 22 provide two means'of suspension for the'bralre beams in addition to the two means of suspension af:- forded by the hangers, and. these bars inoline upwardly at' each side ofthe spring plank, as usual, and, in the illustration of my invention presented herein, have. convex upper end surfaces, as at 23, to receive the end portions of the truss rods. 14, in the manner and.v for the purposes described in my aforesaid Letters-Patent.

The tramway-bar, 22: has a; fiat? inner; end which issecured.y against thelower face of the spring plank 10 byfbolts2i-,which ex.- tend through the inner ends-of both bars 21, 22and said plank 10, said ends of said hars being formedv with longitudinalslots 25, 26 respectively to receive said,v bolts and permit of the longitudinal adjustment ofy said hars orof either bar. to suitl the rerequirements of the beam-hangers,` the beams or other conditions that may arise. The inner end of each tramway bar 21 is flangedA downwardly at' its side edges, as at 27 .whereby the strength and'rigidity of saidiendare lgreatly increased; The nuts- 28 for the bolts 24.- lie between thel flanges-27 andflirmly engage the lower'surface of the inner'endrof the bar 21 and bindtheupper surface of said end against the adjacent portion of the bar' 22'andradjustably secure bothv bars to the spring plank 10.'. Upon loosening thev nuts 28,-'.either'or both; pairs of bars 21, 22 or any one or more ofl the four bars may bel adjusted longitudinally to bring. the proper portion of the. upper surfaces of the bars into correct relation to the endportions of the Ltruss'rods-lt, the bars 21, 22 thus being rendered adjustable to the truss rods andtomeet such conditions as maybe found in variations of beamhangers and trucks.

The operation of the `tramway bars 2l., 22 and the genera-l benefitsto. be derived fronr their. use,.are fullyexplainedainlmy aforesaid LettersPatent, wherein, however, the`VL barslack the feature of. adjustability hereinbefo're described and. which. is of special.. benefit' in apjfnlying` thebars-to car v trucks not specially built to receivef four also over the end portions ofl the brake beams 11, 12, andare hinged attheir inner ends to the upper ends 32 of the sides of U-shaped bearing., frames 33 seated within the top of th'e spring plank 10 and firmly securedthereto by the aforesaid bolts 24, there being two of the frames 33 and a bar 31 above eachjtramway bar. j

The tramway bars 21, 22 may yield downwardly during.y the service application of the. brakes andupwardly on therelease'. of the brales to accommodate the arcs describedxby the lower endsof the brake-hang.- ers, and. hence l hinge theinner ends of the link-bars 31. and-lso articulate the'outer ends ofl said bars with thev outerl ends of the tramway bars that` the.y link;V bars andtramway bars may yield or; move to-` gether without becoming disconnectedor straining; thel parts, The pintles 341 .forf the hinges. at the.- inner. ends of: thev bars f 31 have heads on one'endandfat theotherend are detachably held in operative position by cotter-keys-35. In assembling thelinlrbars 31Y with the tramway bars, said: linkbars 31 being. free of the truck,-I. project the lingers 30 of the bars 31 downwardly throughthe holes- 29 in the ends off the tramwaybars andthenfturn the inner ends of thefbars-31y to'theupper ends 32 of' the frames-33 andsecure said ends of the bars 31 to said-ends32by the'application ofthe pintles 311i and. cotterf keys-35. The bodyportions-of the-linlr-bars 31 are substantially straight and horizontal, and at. their outer ends said bars extenddownwa'rdly to the outer ends of thetramway bars-21, 22, respectively, andl therefore each tramway bar and its-cooperating.v link-bar 31` define aisafety` loopencompassingan end portion of@ the brake-beam.- f

The linlr-bars31-l mayv be readily removed, when desired, by first withdrawing the cotter-keys 35 and pintles-34and then turning the. bars upwardly andoutwardly to retract the fingers 30 'from the holes 29 in the tramway bars. The. link-bars y31 may be readily appliedl to and withdrawnA from operative position and this is a consideration-of*- practical advantage.

The link-bars 31 serve to prevent, in the eventof accident to f thefbralre haneeralthe escapef of the beam.: or. of. anV endthereof over. the outer.v end of` thectr aniway bars. and also to prevent a car wheel from carrying theend of a disabledbeam upwardlyover the. wheel on a service application o-f the brakes:-

In"Fig.12,.I illustrate the tramwaybars 36..- at. each. side ofv the, spring plank-10 as:y madeV from. one. integral strip of. steel whose middletportion is secured to thespjring plank-.by rivets 37. and is :flanged downwardly. at its. opposite side edges, asat,` .saidv flanges 38 corresponding with'ftiie flanges-.27

of the bar 21. The tramway bars 36 by being' made in one piece lack the feature of adjustability possessed by the construction shown in Fig. 2. The construction shown in l? ig. 12 is: the same as that shown in F ig. 2 with the exception of the tramway bars 36 being made from one piece of material, and hence the details of Fig. 12 need not be further described. I have applied on l? ig. 12 the same reference numerals used in Fig. to indicate parts already described and common to both constructions.

TVhat l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A trussed brake-beam, an inclined tramway suspension-bar therefor and a yielding member over said bar and beam for confining the beam, said member being articulated to an inner truck member and thence extending outwardly and to said bar and being articulated at its outer end thereto.

A trussed brake-beam, inclined tramway suspension bars for the end portions thereof and yielding members over said bars and beam. for confining the beam, said yielding members being articulated to inner truck members and thence extending outwardly and to said bars and being articulated at their outer ends thereto.

r1 trussed brake-beam, an inclined tramway suspension-bar therefor and a yielding member over said bar and beam for confining the beam, said member being detachablyihinged at its inner end to a stationary truck member and thence extending out'- wardly and to said bar and being detachably connected at its outer end thereto.

et. .fr trussed brake-beam. inclined tramway suspension-bars for the end portions thereof and yielding` members over said bars and beam for confining the beam, said yielding members being detachably hinged at their inner ends to stationary truck members and thence extending outwardly and to said bars and being detachably connected at their outer ends thereto.

A trussed brake-beam, vinclined tramway suspension bars for the end portions thereof and yielding members over said bars and beams for confining the beam, said yielding members being detachably hinged at their inner ends to stationary truck members and thence extending outwardly and to said bars and being detachably connected at their outer ends: thereto by means comprising holes in the ends of said bars and forwardly deflected hngers on the outer ends of said yielding members and entered within said holes.

6. A trussed brake-beam, inclined tramway suspension-bars for the end portions thereof and yielding members over said bars and beam for confining the beam, said yielding members being articulated to inner truck members and, thence extending outwardly and to said bars and having a yielding connection at their outer ends therewith.

7. The combination in a car-truck of two inside-hung trussed brake-beams, two inclined tramway suspension-bars at each side of tl e spring plank for the end-portions of said beams, frames seated in said spring pla-nk having upwardly extending arms and beam retaining members above said bars and beams and articulated at their inner ends to said arms and at their outer ends to said bars.

8. A trussed brake-beam, inclined tramway suspension-bars for the end portions thereof and longitudinally extending beam retaining bars above said suspension-bars and beam and at their outer ends having a detachable yielding connection with the outer ends of said suspension bars.

9. A trussed brake-beam, inclined tramway suspension-bars for the end portions thereof and longitudinally extending beam retaining bars above said suspension-bars and beam and at their outer ends being connected with the outer ends of said suspension-bars and at their inner ends being hinged to yield downwardly with the suspension-bars.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 9th day of February A. D. 1924.

SETH A. GRNE. 

